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Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala

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Veronika Franz
Born1965 (age 58–59)
Vienna, Austria
Occupations
  • Director
  • screenwriter
  • journalist
Years active1997–present
Severin Fiala
Born1985 (age 38–39)
Horn, Austria
Occupations
  • Director
  • screenwriter
Years active2009–present

Veronika Franz (born 1965) and Severin Fiala (born 1985) are an Austrian filmmaking duo. Franz is a long time partner and Fiala the nephew of filmmaker Ulrich Seidl. Franz, a former film journalist, began her film career co-writing with Seidl. Franz and Fiala began their creative partnership writing and directing Kern (2012), a documentary about the actor Peter Kern. They went on to gain international notice for their feature debut, the German-language psychological horror film Goodnight Mommy (2014), which was selected as the Austrian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards.

Early lives

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Veronika Franz was born in 1965 in Vienna, Austria.[1] Prior to establishing a career as a filmmaker, she worked as a film journalist for the German-language newspaper Kurier, beginning in 1997.[1] She subsequently co-wrote several screenplays and since 2003 also co-produced with long time partner filmmaker Ulrich Seidl,[2] including all three features in his Paradise trilogy; she also worked as an assistant director on some projects.[3]

Severin Fiala was born in 1985 in Horn, Austria,[1] and formally studied at a film school.[3] Fiala is Seidl's biological nephew,[4] and Franz became more closely acquainted with Fiala when she and Seidl hired him to regularly babysit their two sons.[5] Franz and Fiala found they had a mutual love of horror films.[5]

Career

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While attending a film festival, Franz met Austrian actor Peter Kern, a controversial actor and filmmaker.[3] Recalling their meeting, Franz said: "[I talked to him] for several days actually. I only talked to him because I felt so sorry for him, but I got to know him. I really thought that he was a very fascinating character and someone should do a movie about him. He used to work with Rainer Werner Fassbinder in the German cinema of the ‘70s. He was kind of erschwerte in that group. I mean, he was crazy. I thought he was really crazy."[3] Franz decided to follow Kern for the next two years, directing and writing a documentary film on him with Fiala.[3] The documentary, titled Kern, was released in 2012.

In 2013, Franz and Fiala began working on their feature debut, Goodnight Mommy, a horror film about two twin boys who suspect their mother, having recently undergone cosmetic surgery, is in fact not their mother.[3] Goodnight Mommy, co-written and co-directed by Franz and Fiala, was selected as the Austrian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.[6][7]

Franz and Fiala subsequently co-wrote and co-directed a segment in the anthology horror film The Field Guide to Evil (2018), titled Die Trud. In 2019, the duo directed (and co-wrote, with Sergio Casci) their English-language film debut, the psychological horror film The Lodge, which premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival[8] before being released in the United States on 7 February 2020.[9][10] Their latest collaboration is the drama The Devil's Bath which ran in Competition at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2024, receiving the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution for Martin Gschlacht's cinematography.[11]

In February 2024, they were announced to direct a film adaptation of A Head Full of Ghosts.[12]

Filmography

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Year Title Directors Writers Notes Ref.
2012 Kern Yes Yes Documentary film [3]
2014 Goodnight Mommy Yes Yes [6]
2018 The Field Guide to Evil Yes Yes Segment "Die Trud" [13]
2019 The Lodge Yes Yes Co-written with Sergio Casci [14]
2024 The Devil's Bath Yes Yes Premiered on 20 February 2024 in Competition at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival [15]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Franz, Veronika; Fiala, Severin (10 February 2020). "Three Great Things: Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz". Talkhouse. Archived from the original on 6 May 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Sereda, Elisabeth (5 September 2016). "Ulrich Seidl, Austria's Enfant Terrible, Is Back on the Lido". Golden Globes. Archived from the original on 6 May 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Chang, Kee (12 January 2020). "A Conversation with Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala". Anthem Magazine. Archived from the original on 6 May 2020.
  4. ^ Jenkins, Mark (10 September 2015). "A Mom Might Not Be A Mom, And Yes, That's Scary". NPR. Archived from the original on 6 May 2020.
  5. ^ a b Giroux, Jack (14 February 2020). "The Lodge' Directors Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala on Building Atmosphere and Referencing 'Jack Frost' [Interview]". /Film. Archived from the original on 6 May 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Oscars: Österreich reicht "Ich seh, ich seh"". Kurier. 2 September 2015. Archived from the original on 12 April 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  7. ^ "Austria Selects Goodnight Mommy as Oscar Bid". Film New Europe. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  8. ^ Debruge, Peter (28 November 2018). "Sundance Film Festival Unveils 2019 Features Lineup". Variety. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  9. ^ "THE LODGE Gets A Release Date – November 15, 2019". We Are Movie Geeks. 27 June 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  10. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (9 February 2020). "'The Lodge' Snowballs Solid Opening, 'Cane River' Celebrates Historic Release, Oscar-Nominated Films Enter Final Stretch – Specialty Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 21 February 2020.
  11. ^ Ntim, Zac (24 February 2024). "Berlin Film Festival 2024 Winners Announced". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  12. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (15 February 2024). "Robert Downey Jr.-Produced 'A Head Full of Ghosts' Sets Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala as Directors, Fifth Season Financing". Variety. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  13. ^ "The Field Guide to Evil". Seattle International Film Festival. 2018. Archived from the original on 6 May 2020.
  14. ^ Harvey, Dennis (2 February 2019). "Sundance Film Review: 'The Lodge'". Variety. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019.
  15. ^ Ntim, Zac (22 January 2024). "Berlin Reveals 2024 Competition Lineup: Rooney Mara, Mati Diop, Isabelle Huppert, Abderrahmane Sissako Movies Among Selection". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
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